Wonder pill cuts risk of arthritis: Statins can halt joint disease

HEART drugs taken by millions of Britons can slash the risk of arthritis, a major study reveals.

Taking between 10mg to 18.5mg a day resulted in a 20 per cent reduction of getting Osteoarthritis

A daily dose of cholesterol-busting statins has been shown to more than halve the chances of getting the crippling disease.

British researchers believe the breakthrough could pave the way for the pills – which can cost as little as 15p a day – to be taken by millions to ward off osteoarthritis.

If found to be effective they could dramatically reduce the financial burden it places on the NHS.

Public health expert Mohammed Ahmed Rashid hailed the findings of the 10-year study and said the potential impact of increasing the use of statins was “vast”.

Mr Rashid, of Cambridge University, said: “Clinical trials and cost analyses are needed to decide on the feasibility of using statins in osteoarthritis patients.”

Welcoming the study, an arthritis charity said that it could offer hope to people living with the agony of the disease. Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs on the NHS, are taken by eight million people to stave off strokes or heart attacks and save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Keele University carried out the research because of growing evidence that arthritis is not just down to wear and tear as the body ages but also inflammation in the joints.

The study of more than 16,000 adults found that people on the highest doses of statins – 18.5mg or more a day – had 60 per cent lower osteoarthritis rates than people not taking the drugs.

Taking between 10mg to 18.5mg a day resulted in a 20 per cent reduction in the chances of getting it.

Researchers at the university’s Health Services Research Unit and its Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre were puzzled by the fact that some people on very low doses seemed to be at higher risk of arthritis than patients not taking statins.

But in the study published in the Journal of General and Internal Medicine they said the findings suggest the condition may be more closely linked to heart disease than first thought.

They wrote: “Our work has shown that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also associated with osteoarthritis. The co-occurrence of osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease is common.”

Osteoarthritis affects at least 8.5 million, causing pain often in the hands, spine, knees and hips

We are funding trials to investigate whether drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis are also effective for people living with osteoarthritis.

A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK

Experts said more research is needed before statins could be given to patients most at risk or in the early stages of the disease.

Around 10 million people in Britain are blighted by arthritis. Osteoarthritis affects at least 8.5 million, causing pain – usually in the hands, spine, knees and hips – as bones rub against each other as cartilage breaks down.

The charity Arthritis Care estimates the number of patients will rise to 17 million in the next 20 years.

The cost to the NHS will be enormous as it already carries out 140,000 hip and knee replacements a year.

Scientists suspect that inflammation plays a much bigger role in osteoarthritis than first thought.

They are investigating whether drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when the immune system attacks the joints, can also help in osteoarthritis.

A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK said: “We welcome this study as it contributes to the idea that osteoarthritis is not simply wear and tear and that in the future drug treatments can offer hope to people with the condition.

“Arthritis Research UK is also looking at ways to reduce inflammation in people with osteoarthritis and we are funding trials to investigate whether drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis are also effective for people living with osteoarthritis.”

As well as lowering cholesterol, statins are known to have an anti-inflammatory effect in fighting heart disease. Doctors believe they should be given to protect against cancer and Alzheimer’s as well as easing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and protect diabetes sufferers against heart disease.

However last week there were warnings that statins can increase the risk of diabetes.